Finally got to trying this Dark Matter sample – it was highly recommended by a few teafriends. I used 5g in a 100mL gaiwan with 200F water. The dry leaf smelled roasty and a bit fruity. After a rinse, the leaf smelled much more strongly of the roast along with hints of grape – the aroma reminded me a bit of a really roasted Dancong oolong.
From the first steep, I knew this was a quality Wuyi. Very thick and sweet right off the bat, with earthy, roasty notes that reminded me of coffee, and a dry mineral finish. It thickened up even more as I kept going, with the coffee flavors leaving and the mineral notes becoming more sweet. Starting from the fourth steep, I got a bit of a metallic flavor on the tip of my tongue. It wasn’t unpleasant. The tea continued much the same way throughout around 12 infusions. The metallic flavor did fade in the later steeps, as did the texture.
This tea was rather simple, but was quite good. The texture and flavor were mostly consistent and definitely enjoyable throughout the session. Glad I finally got to trying this one, and I think I’ll need to try to get my hands on some more higher quality Wuyi oolongs.
Flavors: Coffee, Metallic, Mineral, Roasted, Sweet, Thick
I certainly enjoyed it. Not sure I’d describe it as odd, though metallic flavors certainly sound like they should be odd lol.